


First Priority

by HermioneGirl96



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, No Romance, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, Past Tense, Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 09:58:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19721359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HermioneGirl96/pseuds/HermioneGirl96
Summary: Agatha calls Penny to ask about Simon's mailing address, and they fight because Penny's upset with Agatha for running away, both literally and figuratively. A very short one-shot, NOT Pegatha.





	First Priority

**Author's Note:**

> Am I projecting more than I should? Absolutely.

Penny knew, in retrospect, that she should have realized that it was too early to take Agatha’s call. That she was still too angry, too indignant. Months had passed, true, but apparently not enough of them. But answering her phone when it rang was second nature, so she took the call after just enough of a glance at the screen to know whom to greet—and not enough to process what that meant. “Agatha, hi,” she said. 

“Penny, hey.” Agatha’s voice sounded less English and more American. Crowley, _already_? “There’s something I need to send to Simon. Can you give me his mailing address?” 

“Oh, right, _now_ you remember him,” said Penny. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Penny could _hear_ Agatha frowning. 

“He was supposed to be our priority, Agatha!” The intensity in Penny’s voice rivaled her spellcasting. “There was an epic battle between good and evil, and he was at the centre of it, so it was our job to keep him safe long enough for him to save the world! You bailed on your duty!” 

“What, so I was supposed to risk my own life for Simon’s sake?” Agatha demanded, her voice equally steely. “Because girls are expendable as long as the male hero gets to save the day? _Right_ , Pen.” 

“Are you questioning my feminist credentials?” Penny shot back, steel ebbing out of her voice as it went shrill. “Because _I’m_ the one who helped save the world while you ran away.” 

“Because I refuse to be a supporting character in someone else’s story!” Agatha returned. “I’m starring in my own story now, and I needed to survive in order to do that.” 

“Right, and your life is so much more important than the entire World of Mages.” Penny couldn’t refrain from sarcasm.

“If I’m not my own first priority, whose first priority will I be?” 

“Why do you need to be anyone’s first priority?” 

“You’re kidding, right, Penny? Everyone should be someone’s first priority. Otherwise, how can you even be sure you’ll survive?” 

“Why is your survival more important than saving the world?” Penny demanded. “I genuinely don’t understand how you could make that calculation.” 

“And I genuinely don’t understand how you can be so indifferent to your own survival and well-being,” Agatha replied. 

It was quiet for several moments. 

“So I suppose you won’t tell me Simon’s mailing address,” said Agatha finally. 

“No, I won’t,” Penny agreed. “But tell me, Agatha, what’s your plan when your selfishness ruins things with your new friends?” 

“What?” Agatha demanded. 

“Well, with us, you ran away to California,” said Penny almost placidly. “Where will you run next?”

Agatha hung up.

It took another two and a half years, but, when Penny finalized her plan to move to the States, she rang Agatha and apologized. “Children shouldn’t have to fight wars,” Penny admitted then. “We should get to be our own first priority.” 

Six months after than, when Penny had a long weekend off from grad school, she visited Agatha in California.


End file.
